Allergy-Friendly Party Tips

One thing I’ve been worried about for Joseph is how to handle birthday parties. CNN recently posted an article called Don’t Kill the Birthday Guest giving some great tips. Some of my takeaways:

“One of the biggest misconceptions is that people with food allergies want the whole event to accommodate their allergies”

“We will martyr ourselves rather than eat anything. A lot of people don’t consider how socially embarrassing it can be. When I get hives around my eyes, people think they’ve made me start to cry. It doesn’t make for a fun picnic.”

Most of your guests don’t need every dish to be allergy-free. They just need a few options.

If contacted by the parent of an allergic child who wants to bring a safe dish, accept it graciously and place it amid the buffet.

When I make the RSVP, I plan on asking about the food and then taking along something for Joseph to eat. It’s odd though. Sometimes I don’t feel that it’s fair that we have to be always giving and can’t receive in return. Especially if I use my more expensive gluten-free flours. I guess it’s something I just have to learn to live with.